Three Approaches to Transcription, and Two New Transcriptions For
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Three Approaches to Transcription, and Two New Transcriptions for Trumpet and Piano By © 2018 Robert Trent Warbis M.M., Wichita State University, 2014 B.M., Boise State University, 2010 Submitted to the graduate degree program in the School of Music and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts. Co-Chair: Prof. Steve Leisring Co-Chair: Dr. Colin Roust Prof. Dan Gailey Dr. Paul Stevens Dr. Perry Alexander Date Defended: 3 May 2018 ii The dissertation committee for Robert Trent Warbis certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Three Approaches to Transcription, and Two New Transcriptions for Trumpet and Piano Co-Chair: Prof. Steve Leisring Co-Chair: Dr. Colin Roust Date Approved: 3 May 2018 iii ABSTRACT This document discusses the role of transcriptions in the trumpet literature and examines three different approaches to transcription for the trumpet. In short, transcriptions fill in gaps in the trumpet repertoire, create a new outlet for repertoire composed for other instruments, and make repertoire more accessible to the average trumpet player. The three approaches to transcription examined are: direct transcription of the solo part with minor changes; semi-direct transcription of the solo part with more extensive changes; and loose transcriptions, where many aspects of the solo are preserved but the transcription goes in its own direction. These approaches are examined through three pieces that are now a part of the standard trumpet repertoire: two different direct transcriptions of Ravel‘s Pièce en forme de habanera, one by Neal Ramsay and Ronald C. Dishinger and one by Thierry Caens; Allen Chen‘s semi-direct transcription of Bach‘s Concerto in D Major, BWV 972; and Rafael Méndez‘s loose transcription of Verdi‘s aria ―Caro nome,‖ from Rigoletto. In addition, I used the techniques described in my analysis of these approaches to create direct transcriptions for trumpet and piano of two Hugo Wolf lieder (―Verschwiegene Liebe‖ from Eichendorff-Lieder, and ―Nimmersatte Liebe‖ from Mörike- Lieder) and a semi-direct transcription of a William Byrd virginal (―Will Yow Walke the Woods Soe Wylde‖ from My Ladye Nevells Booke of Virginal Music). These transcriptions were created in order to make these non-trumpet works accessible to the non-professional trumpet player, and to give a guide on how to create these types of transcriptions. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge and thank the members of my committee for their help with this project and guidance throughout my career at KU: Professor Steve Leisring, Dr. Colin Roust, Professor Dan Gailey, Dr. Paul Stevens, and Dr. Perry Alexander. I owe a debt of gratitude to the trumpet teachers I‘ve had over the years: Dennis Keck, Marcellus Brown, David Hunsicker, and Steve Leisring. These trumpeters have been shining examples of musicianship and professionalism, and I will strive to live up to the examples they have set. Special thanks to Raffaele Cipriano and Ellen Sommer for their assistance and guidance in my efforts to write intelligibly for piano. Finally, my greatest thanks and appreciation go to my wife Amanda and the rest of my family (both blood and chosen) for their patience, encouragement, and support. I could not have done this without them. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ......................................................................................................................................1 Literature Review.............................................................................................................................2 A Brief History of Trumpet Transcription .......................................................................................5 An Analysis of Three Approaches to Transcription ........................................................................8 Approach to My Transcriptions .....................................................................................................21 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................30 Appendices .....................................................................................................................................32 Discography ...................................................................................................................................51 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................................52 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1a: Ravel, Vocalise-étude en forme de habanera, mm. 34-36. ............................................9 Figure 1b: Ramsay and Dishinger transcription of Ravel, mm. 34-36. ...........................................9 Figure 2a: Ravel, Vocalise-étude en forme de habanera, mm. 51-57. ..........................................11 Figure 2b: Caens transcription of Ravel, mm. 51-57. ....................................................................11 Figure 3a: Bach, Concerto in D Major, BWV 972, mvmt. 1, mm. 14-15. ....................................14 Figure 3b: Chen transcription of Bach, mvmt. 1, mm. 14-15. .......................................................14 Figure 4a: Bach, Concerto in D Major, BWV 972, mvmt. 2, mm. 5-6. ........................................15 Figure 4b: Chen transcription of Bach, mvmt. 2, mm. 5-6. ...........................................................15 Figure 5a: Bach, Concerto in D Major, BWV 972, mvmt. 3, mm. 35-38. ....................................16 Figure 5b: Chen transcription of Bach, mvmt. 3, mm. 35-38. .......................................................16 Figure 6a: Bach, Concerto in D Major, BWV 972, mvmt. 3, mm. 56-59. ....................................17 Figure 6b: Chen transcription of Bach, mvmt. 3, mm. 56-59. .......................................................17 Figure 7a: Verdi, ―Caro nome‖ from Rigoletto, mm. 8-10. ...........................................................19 Figure 7b: Méndez transcription of Verdi, mm. 8-10. ...................................................................19 Figure 8a: Verdi, ―Caro nome‖ from Rigoletto, mm. 45-46. .........................................................20 Figure 8b: Méndez transcription of Verdi, mm. 45-47. .................................................................20 1 INTRODUCTION The idea for this project was formulated due to a practical problem I encountered during my second degree recital at KU. I performed Giuseppe Tartini‘s Trumpet Concerto, which was originally composed as his Violin Concerto in E Major, D.53. As I studied several different published versions of the transcription, I found that none of them exactly fit either the original violin composition or the idealized version I had from recordings by artists such as Maurice André. To solve the problem I combined several of the different published versions into one, moving phrases between the accompaniment and solo lines to create the version that I felt worked best. In the process, I became interested in transcribed solo works for classical trumpet and their role in the history and repertoire of the instrument. In this document I discuss the role of transcriptions in the trumpet literature and examine three different approaches to transcription for the trumpet. In short, transcriptions fill in gaps in the trumpet repertoire, create a new outlet for repertoire composed for other instruments, and make repertoire more accessible to the average trumpet player. The three approaches to transcription I examine are: direct transcription of the solo part with minor changes; semi-direct transcription of the solo part with more extensive changes (which are often necessary in transcriptions from instruments with different technical capabilities than the trumpet); and loose transcriptions, where many aspects of the solo are preserved but the transcription goes in its own direction. I examine these approaches through three pieces that are now a part of the standard trumpet repertoire: two different direct transcriptions of Ravel‘s Pièce en forme de habanera, one by Neal Ramsay and Ronald C. Dishinger and one by Thierry Caens; Allen Chen‘s semi- direct transcription of Bach‘s Concerto in D Major (after Vivaldi), BWV 972; and Rafael Méndez‘s loose transcription of Verdi‘s aria ―Caro nome,‖ from Rigoletto. In addition, I use the 2 techniques described by my analysis of these approaches to create direct transcriptions for trumpet and piano of two Hugo Wolf lieder (―Verschwiegene Liebe‖ from Eichendorff-Lieder, and ―Nimmersatte Liebe‖ from Mörike-Lieder) and a semi-direct transcription of a William Byrd virginal (―Will Yow Walke the Woods Soe Wylde‖ from My Ladye Nevells Booke of Virginal Music). I have not created a loose transcription, as that type of approach is more akin to composition and a composition project of that scale is beyond the scope of this document. I have created these transcriptions in order to make these non-trumpet works accessible to the non- professional, college-aged to advanced trumpet player, and to give such a person a guide on how to create these types of transcriptions themselves. LITERATURE REVIEW Many doctoral dissertations and theses deal with the topic of transcription but few deal specifically with the trumpet, and none that I have seen spare much discussion for the role of transcription in the repertoire outside